Blood Bonds
by Tony Greyfox
Summary: When Colin gets a high score on a test known as the Academic Performance Evaluation Test, he thinks nothing of it. That is, until he gets kidnapped and put on an island for five years. When he and his friends return five years later, they struggle to get their lives back in order, and Colin's family and friends are shocked at the changes he's made within the past five years.
1. A Typical Bad Day

Founders' Island

_Dedicated in loving memory to _

_Brian B. White_

_(January 9,1986-January 17,2012)_

Chapter 1: A Typical Bad Day

_September, 2000_

Colin Phillips sat on the couch in the living room of the Matthews' home. In his black paws he held a flyer advertising a new exhibit at the city's museum. Renee, his best friend's mother, had agreed to take him to see the exhibit. He glanced at the window. It'd gotten dark and it was getting late in the evening. He looked at his watch. It was already fifty-five minutes past six o' clock.

The brown raccoon lived with his best friend. After Renee had learned that he was homeless, she'd taken him in as if he were one of her own. She treated him as if he were one of her children, not as if he were her son's best friend. This past year she'd adopted him, making him an official member of their family, and he was eternally grateful for that. He would forever be thankful that she'd taken him in not out of pity but out of love, something he hadn't felt until she'd taken him in. Most of the time, he was treated badly because of the stereotypical raccoons seen in cartoons, the ones who stole and raided garbage cans.

Colin was extremely popular at school. The coon was good-looking. He had white fur from his muzzle to his belly. He had a dark brown stripe that ran from his nose to the base of his tail. He had baby blue eyes. At school he had several friends and was included in many clubs. He did well in all his subjects and excelled at sports. He was popular among his teachers and the other members of the school staff. It was surprising to everyone that he didn't have a girlfriend. Some people speculated that maybe he was gay.

His best friend was the complete opposite. Erik Matthews was a very overweight skunk. He had bright gorgeous emerald green eyes. Unlike Colin, he was extremely unpopular, though this was mainly due to him being fat. His problems had all started back when he'd been seven. Before Colin had come along, he had been constantly teased and bullied. He'd even been teased by his teachers. They found it funny how someone who could ward off bears with a foul stench was so vulnerable, how he was such an easy target for bullies. His bullying had gotten so bad, in fact, that he'd contemplated committing suicide by the age of twelve. He attempted suicide on several occasions, using every method he could think of: poison, gunshot wound, overdosing on pills, hanging, drowning, and effects of being too fat. Somehow, and he still didn't know how, Colin was able to save him. When he attempted to hang himself from the ceiling fan in his mother's bedroom, she had come home and found him nearly out of breath and she had rushed him to the hospital. It was then that she quit working so much and decided to spend more time with him and his sister, but it was Colin who convinced him to get help. Had it not been for Colin he'd be dead.

However, this wasn't to say that Erik didn't still have his bouts with depression. It seemed every two or three weeks he felt as if nothing else mattered. To be perfectly honest, the skunk was fed up with battling his depression. He took antidepressant medication to help him with his depression, but he found that relying on his family helped him more than anything when overcoming his funk.

Erik's mother Renee was beautiful. She was thin, at a healthy weight, unlike Erik. She had blue eyes. She worked as hair stylist at a place located downtown known as Cost Cutters. However, her income was extremely low, so paying bills and buying groceries was difficult. To make matters worse, Erik and Colin were only thirteen, so there was no way they could get jobs and help her. Plus, her other child, a daughter, was only six and she'd just started school. It'd be ten whole years before she could get a job. By then, Erik and Colin would be out of the house and on their own, pursuing their dream-driven careers with nothing but a high school diploma and a college degree, and all without a penny to their names.

Erik's sister was named Marshmallow Matthews. She was a white and silver-gray skunk and was just as beautiful as her mother, if not more beautiful. She had a massive tail, which seemed to be twice as big as her whole body. She had pretty brown eyes. She was cute and beautiful. She enjoyed spending time with Erik and Colin, her "other brother," as she liked to call him.

The phrase "one of the boys" fit her to a T. Because she had been raised by two young boys, she was more of a tomboy than anything. She had no interest in ballet, beauty pageants, or cheerleading. Her interests included playing sports, including tackle football, watching sports, playing video games, surfing the Internet, and wrestling.

Colin loved living in Vancouver, British Columbia, from its dry summer months to its rainy winters. Although it only snowed eleven days out of the year (and three of those days they would receive only six centimeters of snow). Unfortunately, the average snowfall for Vancouver was only 48.2 centimeters, which was just as well. The snow did not remain on the ground for very long, and because of this Erik, Colin, and Marshmallow rarely found themselves getting a snow day. Still, Colin enjoyed living in Vancouver for its rich history and its beautiful parks and other interesting locations, such as the University of British Columbia and the Endowment Lands, where Colin planned on going to college upon graduating from high school.

Most humans around the world had accepted the fact that animals had essentially taken over the United States during the Race Wars back in the mid-1980s. They hadn't started the war; their creators and masters had given them rights to an education, then had decided they didn't want smart animals and tried to eliminate them quietly. Unfortunately, the animals, thanks to a short breeding cycle, were a significant part of the population; thanks to their human intelligence, combined with instinctive knowledge, the animals that had been created back in 1943 by American scientists were able to organize themselves and face the armed assaults for two full years.

A last resort weapon was developed quickly by scientists, a virus that would seek out the genomes present in animals and kill them quickly, with no need for ammunition expenditures. The military dispersed canisters of the virus throughout the country. Unfortunately, a mistake had been made. Either the designers had slipped, or the virus had mutated while they weren't looking. As a direct result of such a horrific mistake, several hundred animals with recessively human genetic material died horribly, but so did sixty percent of the population of North America, mostly south of the 49th Parallel.

What was left of the Canadian government immediately condemned the

American reaction and (after the virus had died off) built themselves an addition that extended south to the Rio Grande; they then offered the surviving animals, whose population was slightly higher than the human population in North America, recognition that they were a unique, distinct society (which upset Quebec greatly) and therefore granted them equal rights with humans. They accepted, thankfully, and life had gone on. Unfortunately, some humans had disagreed with this particular decision.

Colin heard the telephone ring. He gulped. Oh, no. He watched as his mother walked from her bedroom to the kitchen. She looked as beautiful as ever. Today she was wearing her work clothes: a black shirt with a name tag and the name "Cost Cutters" written in white cursive text on the back. Below that was the address in white print. Her black fur was just as smooth and shiny as it'd always been. Nonetheless, his heart pounded in his chest as he feared the worst was soon to come.

His ears flattened against his head as he heard Renee's words. "Hello? Oh, hi, Mary. What? You need me to come in? Do I really have to? I mean, it's a Saturday and it's the day I spend with my kids . . . I understand. Thank you. Yes, I'm on my way. See you in a few minutes. Bye."

She walked in the living room, looking distressed. She grabbed her coat from the coat rack beside and began putting it on. It was cold out tonight, and it'd just get colder.

Colin swallowed hard. "Mom?" he squeaked. He didn't recognize his own voice.

She looked at him, her eyes begging for forgiveness. "Colin, honey, I'm so sorry, but I've got to go to work."

"But . . ."

She grabbed her car keys from the coffee table. "I'm sorry, Colin. I promise we'll do this another time."

He tried again. "But . . ."

"You're in charge while I'm gone. Make dinner and make sure Marshmallow gets in bed on time. Love you. Bye." She walked out of the house, leaving the door open.

The car's headlights flashed through the window and onto the wall of the living room. The lights faded as the car was reversed out of the driveway. The car was steered onto the street and was driven out of sight.

Colin sighed. His gaze fell to the flyer that he still held in his paws. For two weeks he'd talked about nothing but the new exhibit at the museum. She'd promised to take him to see it, and now she just decided to get up and go to work as if her promise didn't matter. How could she do that? He didn't understand it. He tossed the flyer aside and got up. He glared heavily at the open door. He wanted to slam it shut, but thought better of it and closed it carefully, then he started towards the bedroom that he shared with Erik.

Due to the family's low income, they couldn't afford a very expensive house. The best they could afford was a one-story house. The first room that one walked in upon entering the house was the living room. In front of the front door beyond the living room was the dining room and kitchen. To the left of the doorway to the dining room was a hallway. The first door to the right was a closet. The second door to the right was the bathroom. The third door to the right was a bedroom. The first door to the left was a bedroom. The second door to the left was another bedroom.

Colin entered the bedroom to the left. The first bedroom was his and Erik's bedroom. The second bedroom to the left was Marshmallow's bedroom. The third bedroom, the bedroom across from Marshmallow's bedroom, belonged to Renee.

Erik's bed was positioned a few feet away from the bedroom door. Colin's bed was directly across from Erik's, pushed up against the opposite wall. In between the beds was a large window that gave them a view of the driveway and the front yard. Colin's computer was a few feet in front of the foot of his bed, whereas the television and the six-drawer dresser that held their clothes was to the left of the machine, pushed up against the wall that was beside the closet.

Marshmallow was sleeping beside Erik when Colin walked in the room. Erik was busy reading a book. He was a regular bookworm. He loved reading as much as he did writing.

Erik looked up from his book. He was surprised to see that Colin was still at the house. "Colin, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to the museum with Mom."

Colin chuckled. He smiled. "That's what I thought too. Change of plans."

"I'm sorry, Colin. I know how much that meant to you."

Colin ignored his friend's comment. He sunk heavily in the chair in front of his computer. Erik watched him as he began to play a game of solitaire. Erik knew that Colin only played the game when he wanted to forget about something that was bothering him. The only reason why he didn't play the game very often was simply because it was too simple for him. The raccoon grabbed a box of Twinkies from beside him. He opened the box and pulled out a wrapped Twinkie. He ripped off the wrapper and shoved the Twinkie in his mouth. Before he finished it, he began opening another one. He had a tendency of letting his appetite control his emotions. For example, he overate whenever he was upset.

Colin sighed as he placed a paw over his face. He was trying his best to be strong about not being able to go to the museum with his mother. The thought of showing weakness in front of his siblings was unheard of. The last thing he wanted to do was cry.

"What time is it?" Erik inquired.

"Seven o' clock." Colin's mouth was full, causing his voice to become muffled, thus making it hard to understand him. As he chomped down on the Twinkies in his mouth, whipped cream gushed out of his mouth, making him look rabid. Now all he needed to do was pretend like he was having a convulsion and roll his eyes into the back of his head and the illusion would be complete.

"We should probably feed Marshmallow," Erik suggested. "It's getting close to her bedtime."

Sighing heavily, Colin pushed his chair away from the desk. "Excuse me, I need some time alone." He quickly turned off his computer and stood up. He started towards the door. Erik's voice stopped him as he was about to turn the doorknob so he could exit the room.

"Would you like some help?"

He turned. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Erik nodded. "All right." He turned back to his book.

Colin entered the kitchen. He wasn't the absolute best cook. In fact, Erik was much better at it than he was, but he could at least attempt to cook dinner without burning the house down. He surveyed what he had to work with, then set to work. Luckily, Renee had a cookbook he could use.

An hour and a half later, he spotted Erik heading towards the front door. He called out to the portly skunk. Once Erik had turned around, he asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going out on a date with Melissa," Erik stated.

Colin blinked. "Melissa Daniels?" She was one of the bullies who daily harassed Erik.

"That's the one."

"But she hates you."

Erik turned to open the door. "I'll be back when I feel like it."

"Well, at least eat something before you go."

"I'll eat when I get back. Don't worry about Marshmallow. I let her have the rest of your Twinkies."

"You what?!" His breathing suddenly became heavy as he had to restrain himself from choking Erik.

"Colin, calm down. Why does it matter that much to you?"

"I think there's only one way I can really explain."

"How's that?" Erik asked flatly. He groaned, anticipating something unpleasant.

"Well," Colin began, his paw proudly touching his chest while his nose smugly rose into the air. "With a song!"

"Oh, God . . ." Erik groaned.

He cleared his throat, found his pitch (although just barely), and then with a delicate hop to the side, began.

"_Oh_

_I would do anything for a Twinkie_

_I would roll in something stinky_

_I'd shave my tail_

_Then eat a snail_

_Yes, I'd do anything for a Twinkie_

_I would like to stay up late_

_Maybe even mastur-"_

"Okay, that's enough, you," Erik cried as he tightly squeezed his paw over Colin's muzzle. "You're going to make my tail curl! And, you're giving me the urge to . . . to die!"

Colin snorted. "Well, excuse me. I'm sorry you can't appreciate fine singing."

"Would you care to explain why it's such a big deal to you in a more appropriate manner, please?"

Taking a step back, Colin crossed his arms. "Oh, fine, I shall explain for my ferociously fat friend," he said sourly. "To me, the Twinkie is proof that God exists, and furthermore that He must surely be a raccoon, as only a being so naturally divine could create such a flawlessly perfect treat." His chest swelled with pride as he continued, a bit of moisture leaking from the corners of his mouth. "Begin with a fluffy, golden layer, made with a touch of the sun itself. Then, fill it with only the freshest, creamiest, most delectable sugary filling, and individually wrap them to be placed in an easy to open box. Each is nearly four inches of mouth-watering, toe-tingling, eye-popping excitement for your tongue! And you can never have enough. Oh, no. Never!" By the time he was finished, he had to take a step to the side to get out of the puddle that had formed at his feet. He shook off each foot, his tongue flicking out in disgust.

"Whatever. I'll see you later. Bye." Erik walked out of the house before his friend could protest.

Colin stared at the open door. Only this time he went ahead and slammed it shut. "Why is it that everyone expects me to do things on my own? Just because I might be capable of doing things on my own doesn't mean I want to do it by myself!"

Fearful that he had woken up Marshmallow due to his ranting, he walked down the hall and entered his bedroom to see the white skunk sleeping soundly on Erik's bed, curled up in a tiny ball with her tail curled around her body. He walked over to her and petted her head gently, smiling down at her. He suspected that she'd be more comfortable in her bedroom. Gently, he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. He rocked her back and forth. He let out a groan when her eyes opened and she stared up at him. "Hey, baby." He pressed a finger against her nose, making her giggle. "Looks like it's just you and me tonight, kiddo."

She continued to stare up at him. She smiled at him and took his finger and gave it a tight tug.

"Do you want to go to your bedroom?" Colin asked.

She shook her head.

"No?" he queried. "Well, what do you want to do?"

She opened her mouth and pointed.

He frowned. "You must be kidding me. You can't possibly be hungry after eating ten Twinkies!"

She frowned herself.

"Well . . .," he continued, "I do suppose all those Twinkies did make you thirsty."

She nodded her head in agreement.

He leaned his head towards her to sniff her. "Hmm. What say we give you a bath before getting you something to drink?"

She said nothing in objection.

With her cradled in his arms, he went to her bedroom and retrieved a T-shirt from her dresser and a diaper from the package of diapers that she kept underneath her bed before entering the bathroom from across the hall. He set her down on the toilet seat and put the T-shirt and diaper on the counter by the sink, then took off her shirt and the diaper she was already wearing. The foul stench of urine indicated that she had already used it for its intended purpose.

When he started to put her in the bathtub, she suddenly squirmed in his grasp, shaking her head. Confused, he asked, "What's wrong, honey? Hmm?"

Only one word crept out of her mouth: "Sink."

He shrugged and agreed to give her a bath in the kitchen sink. After all, it had been the place where Erik had bathed her when she'd been younger. He took a container of hand soap from the cabinet underneath the sink in the bathroom and carried her to the kitchen with the container of hand soap, the T-shirt, and the fresh diaper in the other paw. The dirty diaper had been put away in the trash can in the bathroom.

Marshmallow let out a sigh of content as she splashed happily in the warm water that surrounded her. She closed her eyes as Colin began to wash the silver-gray fur on her head, followed by the rest of her body, for which she had to stand up. When he motioned with his finger, she turned and bent over slightly, gripping the faucet, giving the raccoon a clear view of her white rump. She let out a gasp as she felt the wet cloth caress her rear end, then relaxed when she got used to the feeling. She figured that after six years of having her behind washed, she would have gotten used to the feeling by now. Once Colin was done washing her rear, she sat back down in the sink so Colin could rinse her off.

This was her favorite part, because Colin would use the sprinkler beside the faucet, allowing her to pretend that she was dancing outside during a rainstorm. Though it only lasted very briefly, she still enjoyed it.

Colin pulled the plug out of the drain of the sink and set Marshmallow on the counter beside it. Taking the towel that he'd grabbed from the hallway closet a few moments earlier, he began drying her off. Wrapping her up in the pink towel, he held her close to his body while he dried her off. She sighed and rested her head against his chest while he dried off her back and her rear end. She noticed that he was careful when drying off her tail, not wanting it to get mangled. He'd always been good about careful with her tail, just as he was with his own.

Once she was dried off, her T-shirt was slipped on her and she was diapered. While she could've been diapered standing up, she preferred doing it lying down since it made the process feel more natural.

Holding her tightly, he stared down at her and grinned. "Now we can get you something to drink? What do you want, milk?"

She folded her arms and glared at him, as if to say, "Well, duh!"

He gave a nervous chuckle. "Right. Sorry." He got a baby bottle down from one of the cabinets and filled it with milk before adding a few spoons of honey for sweetener. Once he had done this, he put the baby bottle of milk in the microwave for a few seconds. With her, he watched the baby bottle go 'round and 'round on the plate that rotated inside the microwave. He chuckled to himself when he heard her coo and clap her paws together in a gleeful manner. She was a baby at heart, which was why he and Erik often referred to her as "the baby of the family." Luckily, she didn't take offence to the phrase and actually embraced it by wearing diapers and drinking milk from baby bottles.

Colin touched the baby bottle with the tip of his finger to test the temperature. A nod of approval confirmed that it was warm enough to drink. If it was hot, then she wouldn't drink it.

She was carried to the living room and set down in his lap. Patiently, she waited for him to insert the nipple of the bottle into her mouth so she could begin drinking. The suspense that the waiting brought about was agonizing for her. Milk was like her drug. While she didn't need it to function properly throughout the day, she did have a strong fondness for the beverage. She smiled once he put the nipple in her mouth and she began sucking, drawing the warm, sweetened milk into her mouth and down to her belly.

He smiled down at her. He'd always enjoyed doing activities like this with her. He loved the bonding that it brought the two of them. He remembered when she'd been younger and how milk had been the only thing that she'd accepted as food. She'd despised baby food, wouldn't even give it a taste. If baby food had been proposed to her, she'd violently smack the jar of food out either Erik or Colin's paw, sending it shattering against the wall, leaving them with a mess to clean up. As a result of her gorging on milk back when she'd been a baby, she'd gotten very, very fat as a result, and Colin feared that she'd end up doing the same thing if she kept drinking milk at the rate she was going, though she did still have some baby fat, making her belly big and round, just like Erik's. The family went through more milk than they did food, which was surprising when Erik and Colin's appetites were taken into account. At times, both Erik and Colin thought that she had an addiction to milk, but realized that such was not possible.

He patted her head gently with his paw that held her head while he held the bottle with the other. "You know, if you keep drinking like this, you're going to start to get really, really fat."

She smiled at this comment and patted her stomach. Her stomach hadn't started to get any bigger, but it had gotten slightly rounder as a direct result of her binge drinking. The milk helped keep her warm while being wrapped up in her brother's arms brought her comfort and a gentle hug never hurt anyone.

"We're gonna have to start putting you on a diet, aren't we, my cute, fat, little baby girl? You're a little piggy, aren't you?" He tickled her tummy, making her giggle. "Who's my baby girl?"

She pointed to herself, taking one paw off the nursing bottle in order to do so. She increased her sucking. She raised a leg, making her diaper rustle in the process, and let out a squeal of delight as the fluid continued to fill her stomach. She once again patted her stomach and a happy smile crept across her face as she felt her hunger begin to dissipate. However, she knew she'd want a second nursing bottle to drink when she went to bed. She wouldn't go to sleep unless she had one.

Halfway through the bottle of milk, she began to feel sleepy. Her grip on the bottle began to loosen. Her eyelids began to droop. She kicked her legs, making her diaper rustle audibly as she did so while she struggled to stay awake. She was weak, however. She wanted to finish her bottle before being laid down for bedtime. She knew that she wouldn't be able to.

Colin also took note of his little sister's drowsiness. But she seemed to be determined to finish her bottle of milk. Every time he attempted to pry the bottle of milk out of her mouth, she'd pull it back, forcing the nipple of the bottle back into her mouth. He eventually gave up trying to take the bottle away from her. He knew that he would have to take it away from her after she fell asleep to prevent her from choking.

She finally let go of the bottle, allowing him to pull the nipple out of her mouth. The bottle was nearly empty, but still had a little milk left in it. He decided that he'd finish it for her. Through her weary eyes, she watched her brother jam the nipple of her bottle into his mouth and chug the rest of her milk, kicking his legs and letting out a muffled squeal of joy as he did so. Knowing that she'd get more in just a couple of minutes, she didn't get too upset. Besides, she enjoyed seeing her brother enjoy himself.

"Would you like to go to your bedroom now?" he asked, setting the nursing bottle on the floor.

She nodded her head slowly. She was grateful that her brother didn't make her walk. Instead, he carried her to her bedroom.

Her bedroom was completely different from Erik and Colin's bedroom. Her bed was pressed up against the wall to the right of the room. In front of the foot of the bed was a bookcase that was filled with books and DVDs with a very large blue pillow resting in front of it. A window was positioned above the bookcase. To the left of the bed was a computer that rested on top of a desk. The second window, this one much larger than the previous one, was in between the bed and the computer. Pushed up against the wall to the left of the room was a six-drawer dresser with a TV resting on top of it. On the left of the television was a PlayStation 2, whereas the other side of the TV contained a DVD player. The walls were white and the carpet was a beige color, just like the walls and carpet of Erik and Colin's bedroom.

She was gently placed in her bed. He covered her up with her favorite blue blanket and put a pillow underneath her head. He shook her nursing bottle in front of her. He pulled it away as she reached out for it. "I'm going to get you some more milk, okay?" He walked out of the room after he received a nod from her, the nursing bottle in his paw. He returned to the room minutes later with the nursing bottle filled full with milk. "Here you go, honey." He handed his little sister the bottle. She seized it and began sucking on the nipple. He smiled before giving her a good night kiss and retreating from the room, shutting off the light along the way.

He walked back to the kitchen to make dinner. He scowled at the light brown colored carpet and roughly kicked at the floor, then shot an ugly look at the pot that contained the tomato soup. Shaking his head and grumbling to himself, he walked over to the stove and turned the burner off. He poured himself a bowl and sat down at the table before he began his meal.

He sat at the table afterward, waiting for Renee and Erik to return from their journeys safely. He hoped that they would return soon. He didn't want to be up all night waiting for them.

Erik walked in the house at ten o' clock. He started down the hall, but Colin's voice stopped.

"Erik, are you hungry? If you're hungry, Romeo, dinner is ready. There's plenty of tomato soup left if you want some."

Erik ignored Colin's comment as he made his way towards the refrigerator.

"The date didn't go well, did it?" Colin asked as Erik poured himself a glass of milk.

Erik didn't answer. He quickly drank his milk. "I'm going to bed." He walked out of the kitchen after setting the empty glass in the sink.

"Okay, then. Good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Whatever." The fat skunk disappeared as he continued to go down the hall.

Colin sighed.

Renee arrived at the house forty-five minutes later. She also rejected the offer of tomato soup, claiming that she'd already gotten something to eat with Mary.

Colin poured out the rest of the soup on the lawn. There was no possible way he could eat a whole pot of tomato soup by himself. He was afraid to attempt to try. He would most likely end up with a horrible stomachache.

Erik was already asleep when Colin entered the bedroom. The stuffed teddy bear that the skunk was cradling in his arms had beady eyes and had a green bow tie around its neck. The stuffed bear was a good size, large enough for a child. The bear had beige fur on its chest and stomach. Its palms and soles were also beige fur. Its main fur color was a light brown. It had a small amount of beige fur around its nose and mouth. Its ears were large and the insides of them were also beige fur. Its head was very large, much larger than its entire body. Erik called the teddy bear Mr. Snuggles, a toy that he'd had in his possession for as long as he could remember. He didn't care that he was thirteen years old. He'd been sleeping with Mr. Snuggles every night ever since he'd been four years old, and his age wasn't about to change that.

Colin gently brushed back the comforter that covered the skunk's body to reveal the skunk's usual bedtime attire: a T-shirt and a diaper. Due to the fact that the skunk suffered from the sleeping disorder known as nocturnal enuresis, he had to wear diapers upon going to bed to make sure that he didn't end up urinating on the bed sheets. He wore more than one diaper to prevent leakage. He'd been suffering from the sleeping disorder ever since he'd been four years old. Over time, he'd grown fond of wearing diapers. It was because of him that they kept Marshmallow's baby stuff, including the diapers that they ended up not using and her baby bottles.

And it was also for this reason why Colin and Marshmallow also wore diapers to bed, so Erik wouldn't feel so embarrassed about his condition. It had been Marshmallow's idea to begin with. She seemed to realize that her brother went through enough junk at school; he didn't need people making fun of him for wetting the bed. Besides, all three of them claimed that they slept better in diapers. Like Erik, they had become so fond of wearing diapers over the years that they had started to wear them all the time around the house with the blinds drawn over the windows, of course, and they had even gone as far as requesting that Renee give them a bottle of warm milk for a meal or before going to bed since it helped them sleep better. Luckily, Renee hadn't minded doing these activities with her children. In fact, she enjoyed them quite frequently, almost as much as her children did. She seemed to understand why her children liked acting this way. They did it as a way of escaping their worries and troubles for a while, especially with Erik after the skunk had had a bad day at school and wanted to forget all about it.

Colin's bed creaked as he got in it. He lied on his side and pulled the covers up to his neck as he drifted off to sleep. He felt fresh tears seep through his eyes. He allowed them to fall onto his pillow.


	2. Never Alone

Chapter 2: Never Alone

Erik bit back a small whimper as he waited for Renee and his siblings to return with the flashlights, or better yet, with the lights coming back on. The power had gone out a few minutes ago. Colin had volunteered to go, thinking he would be able to help with the switches, and Marshmallow had gone purely out of being frightened. Erik had stayed behind, having simply said, "Whatever, just hurry up and get the power back on."

Now that they were gone to fix the problem, Erik was steadily freaking out. Two of his worst fears were taking place at the same time. His heart was beating faster as he watched the darkness cast ominous shapes that transitioned from one thing to another. His imagination was playing tricks on him.

Just as he thought he was going to lose his mind, the light in the living room flickered on and the TV followed suit, as did the light in the hallway. The house was back on track.

Erik breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the couch, feeling more content at the familiar sound of footsteps bounding into the living room.

Marshmallow put her small paws on the couch and pushed herself onto it, turning at the same time and landing beside her brother with a soft thump. "Boy, am I glad to have the lights back on!" She watched Erik go through the channels, looking for his show. "It sure was scary, huh, Erik?"

Erik glanced at Marshmallow out of the corner of his eye but said nothing.

Colin and Renee came in and they both took their seats on the couch. Renee picked up Marshmallow and set her on her lap. Colin took Marshmallow's spot next to Erik. After realizing what show Erik was looking for, he reached over and attempted to snatch the remote. Erik reacted as though he knew the action was coming. He put the remote in his other paw and held it out of Colin's reach.

Sitting back, Colin glared at Erik. "Erik, we are _not_ watching _Fear Factor_!"

Erik arched an eyebrow at the raccoon. "Well, we're not watching any of _your_ boring ass TV shows."

"They're _not_ boring, Erik, they're educational and informative . . ."

Erik feigned a yawn. "They're _boring_, Colin."

Colin's face flushed in annoyance.

"Boys," Renee said, "if you can't decide on what you want to watch, then you can both settle it by just going to bed right now."

The two teenagers looked at Renee, clearly not ready to go to bed at seven-thirty.

Realizing that Erik was still refusing to give up the remote, Colin folded his arms and glared at the TV, thoroughly irritated with his adoptive brother. "Why do you _always_ have to make things so difficult, Erik?"

"It's called talent, Colin. You should get some soon enough." Erik flipped through the channels once more. He realized he had missed _Fear Factor_ while the power had gone out.

"Being an asshole shouldn't be a talent, Erik, and it shouldn't be something you're proud of." Colin climbed off the couch and looked at Renee. "I think I'll go read instead."

"Oh, I'll come too!" Marshmallow climbed down from her mother's lap. "I wanna color!"

Colin smiled at her and led the way out of the living room and down the hall to their bedroom.

"Well, I'm glad the situation settled itself," Renee said. "I have some paperwork I should be working on myself."

The lack of people got Erik's attention. "Wait, _you're_ leaving too?" He looked at Renee.

Renee nodded. "Don't stay up too late, and _don't_ watch anything that will have you waking up screaming because of nightmares, all right?"

Erik rolled his eyes as Renee walked out of the living room and went down the hall to her room. Instantly, he began to feel his heart pick up speed. He had gone from being surrounded by his family, to completely alone in less than two minutes. The sound of Renee's door closing sounded so permanent that it had him reacting before he knew what he was doing.

He was at his bedroom door before he knew it. He opened the door and walked in, trying to act casual about it. Luckily for him, his siblings didn't give his entrance much attention. He climbed onto his bed and lay under the covers. Feeling the familiar presence of his siblings surrounding him, he allowed himself to relax and close his eyes.

A week or so went by and it was back to school. They had been on summer break.

"Summer is supposed to be warm and sunny!" Erik wrapped a scarf around his neck.

"Not necessarily, Erik." Colin put a scarf on himself as well. "Summer can be just as cold as in the winter when it's just beginning."

Erik scowled but said nothing else on the subject. Bitching about the lack of warmth wouldn't make it any warmer.

Dressed for the cold, they left the house and made their way towards school.

Within an hour of being in school, it had started to rain, and it rained hard. They were told to stay indoors. Aside from not being able to run around, the students had no real issues being inside.

"Move it, Erik!" Melissa shouted when Erik bumped into her. She pushed him roughly, and he fell back, hitting the teacher's desk as he landed from the fall. In sync with his landing, there was a bright flash of lightning, followed by a clap of thunder, and the power went off. Instantly the kids went into panic mode until the teacher calmed them. "It's all right, children. I'm sure the mechanics will get the power back on soon. Just remain calm and relax. It's just like nighttime."

Erik could barely make out any other child's form with the level of darkness in the classroom. All he could do to know they were even there was by listening to their voices. He could feel the increase in his heartbeat, could feel it's pounding against his chest. He pressed himself firmly against the desk, his eyes bouncing around, looking for some sort of light, something to brighten the darkness he was surrounded by.

"Erik?"

He heard the teacher's soft voice as she knelt down beside him.

"Are you all right, Erik?"

Erik looked over at where he knew she was. "I . . ." He lowered his voice so only she could hear him. "I don't like the dark . . ." He blushed as he revealed this information, one of his two weaknesses.

"It's all right, Erik." She picked him up and set him down onto his feet. She sat on her knees and asked, "Would you like for me to tell you where your brother is?"

"Uh . . . yeah . . ." Erik whispered. "And . . . you're not going to tell anyone, are you? Colin doesn't even know . . ." Though he couldn't see it, he'd known she had smiled.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." She stood and guided him over to where Colin stood.

"There you are, Erik." Colin hugged his best friend tightly. He pulled away from the fat skunk to look around the room. "Erik, everyone's bored. What do you say we give them some entertainment?"

Erik smirked, his fear subsiding as the teacher found a lantern and turned it on. He gently eased Colin back. He swung his arm out and then pointed to himself. "_I _say you're on!"

A few hours later, the power came back on and everyone was thrilled. Erik looked over at the teacher and smiled thankfully at her.

She smiled back and nodded.

When they finally got back home Erik, Colin, and Marshmallow discarded their excess sweaters in different styles. Marshmallow threw hers onto her bed to be put up later. Erik tossed his onto the floor by his bed. Colin folded his and put them into his drawer.

"The power's been going off all over the place lately, huh?" Marshmallow asked, walking in the boys' bedroom.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it went off again soon," Colin answered.

Erik's breath caught at the idea. He hated being in the dark. He went over to his nightstand and opened it, making sure there was a flashlight in the drawer before closing it back.

"Boys, Marshmallow," Renee called from the kitchen, "dinner's on the table."

Together, the three of them walked down the hall and entered the kitchen.

As they all sat at the table and ate, Colin spoke up. "Mom, do you think the power's going out because of all the storms lately?"

"I'm sure that's why," Renee answered. "Let's hope we don't have it happen tonight. There's supposed to be another storm."

Erik sighed and moved his empty plate to the center of the table. "When will the weather get warmer?"

"I don't know, Erik," Renee replied. "Summer is mixed between warm and cold, and it can rain just as much as the sun shines."

"I told you that earlier, Erik," Colin said as he too finished his food.

Renee gathered up the plates once each one of her children were finished, then began to get ready to clean the kitchen.

"Guys . . ." Marshmallow shut the door to Erik and Colin's bedroom. ". . . what are we gonna do if the power goes out again?" It was obvious she was scared.

"Don't worry, Marshmallow." Colin stretched out a paw to his nightstand. He pulled out a flashlight from the drawer compartment and walked over to Erik's bed where the white skunk sat. "Here's a flashlight. You can keep it under your pillow in case the power shuts down."

Marshmallow smiled and took the flashlight. "Thanks, Colin." She went to her bedroom and slipped it under her pillow and then changed into her pajamas.

Colin smiled as his little sister left the room, then walked over to his dresser to get ready for bed.

Dressed in his usual bedtime attire, Erik laid back against his pillow, his arms behind his head and his ankles crossed.

There was a loud sound of thunder and then almost instantly, rain began to pour.

Erik looked over at the window and watched the rain fall down.

"Wow!" Marshmallow went over to her window and looked at the rain. "It's raining hard. You can hear the wind blowing."

"At this rate, it won't be long before the power goes out again," Colin said. "I guess we should keep our flashlights nearby." He pulled out his spare flashlight from underneath his pillow.

Erik's pride kept him from doing the same thing while his mind urged him to. He simply turned onto his side and looked out the window, hoping nothing would happen, though he knew it would at the rate it was going.

Marshmallow climbed onto her bed, pulling her flashlight out as she lay down.

"Do you think we'll help Renee with the switch again this time?" Erik asked.

"Probably," Colin answered, "but since she knows how it works we may not have to."

Erik breathed out a sigh of relief. At least if it were dark, he wouldn't have to worry about being alone.

"Well, we could go anyway, just so we can make sure it won't take long for the power to come back on," Colin added, clutching the flashlight in his paws. "Even if me and Marshmallow do go with her, I'm sure you will probably sleep through the whole thing anyway, Erik."

Erik rolled his eyes. _Yeah, I wish . . . _Sighing, he closed his eyes as Colin turned off the lights.

"We'll leave the bathroom light on, Marshmallow, so we can know when the power goes out," Colin said, climbing back into bed and laying down.

"Okay, I don't mind it being on anyway," Marshmallow said, covering her body in the sheets of her bed.

Colin smiled.

Erik stretched an arm over to his nightstand, opened its drawer slowly, and pulled out his flashlight. Once the lighting instrument was in his possession, he pushed the drawer until it was closed. He pulled the item close before slipping it under his pillow and covering up. With worries on his mind, Erik drifted into a restless sleep.

Both boys woke to a loud clap of thunder, sitting up simultaneously in bed.

Colin rubbed his eyes before looking towards the hallway. "The power's out!" His flashlight went on instantly and he shone it towards his brother. "Do you think Mom's awake yet?"

"After thunder like that?" Erik asked. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was already down in the garage trying to fix the power."

Marshmallow, who now stood in the doorway to her brothers' bedroom, looked horrified at the idea of their mother being alone in the dark, scary garage.

"Nice one, Erik," Colin scolded, walking over to Marshmallow.

"What?" Erik defended himself. "I'm just saying!"

"Maybe if you could understand Marshmallow's fear, you'd think twice about what you'd say before saying it!"

Erik clenched his jaw, keeping himself from saying anything. He had been about to say, _"Understand it! I probably have it worse than she does!"_ If he hadn't caught himself, he would have said it.

"Come on, Marshmallow," Colin said, "let's go and see if Mom's awake."

Erik's pride overruled his fear as he watched his siblings and the light walk out of the room without a word in his direction. He turned his flashlight on before any of his physical reactions to being alone, and in the dark, kicked in. The light eased his fear of the dark, but he'd have to find his siblings to get rid of being alone. He hesitated briefly before climbing off his bed and hurrying out of the room. He moved his light down the hall but found no trace of his siblings. Panic flooded him, but he forced it away. There was no reason to panic.

He jumped when he heard something fall and break, followed by a harsh, "Dag blame it, Marshmallow!" Realizing what had happened, he hurried after the sound of Colin's voice. Turning a corner, he nearly collided with the taller mammal.

"Slow down, Erik, we don't need anything else breaking," Colin said, shining his light on Erik. The skunk blinked under the brightness, but secretly appreciated it at the same time.

"Have you found Mom yet?" Erik asked, relieved to have his siblings back in sight.

"No, she wasn't in her room," Colin answered. "We'll have to check the garage." He began leading the way.

Marshmallow ran after Colin, hurrying to follow.

Erik looked around before he too hurried to catch up.

They walked past the refrigerator and, before arriving at the garage door, they heard it close.

Colin stopped abruptly, his two siblings bumping into him and each other due to the inability to see.

"What's wrong, Colin?" Marshmallow asked.

"I think Mom's in the garage . . ." Colin said.

Marshmallow looked at Erik, who looked back at her. They could hear the uncertainty in Colin's voice.

Erik swallowed and looked at Colin. "Do you think Mom's in the garage? Or do you think someone else is in the garage?"

Marshmallow looked at Erik in shock. "Don't say that, Erik! It's a scary thought . . ." She looked to Colin for reassurance. "It's Mom in the garage, right, Colin?"

Colin looked at her, then across the room through the doorway in the kitchen that led to the living room. He looked at Erik. Normally the skunk would be leading the way, talking about how his logical brother was exaggerating things, as he normally did, but he wasn't, and Colin could still feel Erik's lightweight tight grip on his shoulder. Looking back at Marshmallow, he simply nodded.

"Can we hurry up and get the lights back on now?" Marshmallow asked.

"Yeah, let's go find Mom," Colin said and led the way once more towards the garage. He was about to open the door when the doorknob jiggled.

Marshmallow gasped and wrapped both of her arms around Colin's, shifting the flashlight's light slightly due to the force of the action.

The door was opened and a figure was in the doorway. Marshmallow screamed and Colin dropped his flashlight. Erik covered his mouth to keep any sound from escaping.

"What are you guys doing out of bed?" Renee bent down and picked up Colin's flashlight. When they realized it was their mother, they calmed down.

"We were looking for you," Colin said, taking the flashlight back. "We were worried about you." He shone the light on Renee's face so they could see her.

"Mom!" Marshmallow hugged her mother's leg tightly. Renee bent down and picked her up.

Erik realized he still had a tight grip on Colin's arm and immediately let go. Colin felt the weight on his arm leave but said nothing about it. He'd talk to Erik about it later.

"Why aren't the lights back on?"

"Well, the way I figure it there's no point in fixing it and having it go back out again," Renee replied. "We'll have to wait until the storm passes."

Colin nodded. It made sense now that he gave it some thought. He glanced at Erik and saw his brother close at his heels, the skunk's eyes on the light Renee was using to guide them. He looked ahead in thought. Erik was definitely acting out of character. Any of the normal things he would have done in this situation he hadn't even attempted to do. As they filed into their bedroom, he watched Renee set Marshmallow on Erik's bed.

Erik climbed onto his bed and sat in the center.

Colin followed his brother, sitting beside him instead of on his own bed. He wanted to figure his brother out. His best chance was to do so in the environment he acted most unlike himself.

Renee shined her light on all three of her children. "Now I know not having any power is scary, but if you guys think about it, it's just as dark now as it is when you close your eyes before you fall asleep."

"But," Marshmallow interjected, "when we open our eyes, it's always lighter than when they're closed. Right now it's no different. We can't see a thing when it's dark like this."

"Well, at this time of night your eyes shouldn't be open. You should be sleeping, so with that being said, all of you need to lie down and go to sleep."

Erik looked over at Colin and saw the raccoon watching him. He crawled over to the headboard of his bed and pulled his covers back.

Colin climbed off Erik's bed and climbed onto his own. They both lay under their blankets and looked at Renee.

She nodded her head in approval. "Now by morning the storm should have passed and the power should be back on, so until then go to sleep. All right?"

"Okay," Erik and Colin said in unison. Their mother smiled and left the room, closing the door. Their flashlights flickered on and they looked at one another.

"I don't know about you, but I can't sleep," Erik said softly. He remained silent as he listened to the storm outside.

"Well," Colin said, "at least we have _some_ sort of light in here."

Erik recognized Marshmallow's steady breathing and knew she was finally asleep. He wasn't sure about Colin, though. The raccoon was a quiet sleeper. For some reason, he couldn't sleep even though there was light and his siblings were with him. He shifted to another position and looked out the window. The storm was still going and it didn't sound like it was any closer to letting up. He sighed and looked at his flashlight that was resting on his nightstand. The bright beam being emitted from the bulb nestled inside the instrument that was protected by a circular pane of glass hit the ceiling, thus illuminating some of the space around him. The light on the ceiling from his flashlight merged with Colin's. Following Colin's light, he soon looked at his brother. He choked on some air and his heart stopped briefly upon seeing Colin's baby blue eyes watching him. He was temporarily speechless for a moment before he swallowed and struggled to say something. "Uh . . ."

Colin blinked.

"You're not tired?" Erik inquired.

Colin pulled his blanket tighter around his shoulders, not answering the skunk's question. He wanted to understand Erik's peculiar characteristics, and most of his way of doing so was by studying him. Finally, he answered Erik's question. "Not really. It's not exactly a peaceful night right now."

Erik had to smile at that. It was true. The rain hitting the roof at the speed it was going made it sound like it was hailing. The wind sounded like a giant fan was going off right next to him. How Marshmallow had fallen asleep was a pure mystery. He looked out the window, watching the sky light up and then go dark within a second. He heard Colin's bed shift and didn't think much of it. He figured that the raccoon had turned on his side and was going back to sleep. Feeling a dip on his bed made him look down where his feet were and he watched as Colin crawled past his feet and lied down beside him. He turned so he could face the raccoon, watching him cover up and lay against his pillows.

Just as he was about to say his name, Erik fell silent when Colin looked at him. He blinked.

Colin remained silent, searching Erik's green eyes. After a moment he said, "I want to understand, Erik."

Erik furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before looking towards the window. Understand what? Looking in that direction, Erik realized Colin had turned off his flashlight. He looked back at his brother. Wait a second. The light to Marshmallow's flashlight was out as well? How had Colin managed that? He wanted to voice his thoughts, but he couldn't.

"You act different, Erik," Colin continued, observing Erik's reaction to the lack of light.

Erik wanted to reach for his flashlight, keep it close, but his pride didn't let him move. "Different how?" Subconsciously, he clutched the blanket on his chest.

Colin took notice to this. He was beginning to understand. "You know very well how."

Erik was twisting the blanket around his fingers. When he realized what he was doing, he quickly stopped and hoped Colin hadn't noticed. "I don't know what you're talking about, Colin." His eyes danced across the room, trying not to focus on the darkness. He looked over toward his flashlight, focusing on the light.

"Erik." Colin made the skunk look at him. "Just tell me what you're afraid of."

Erik's eyes widened and he looked away. "I'm not afraid of anything." He felt his face heat up.

Colin arched an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Erik huffed and said nothing.

Colin sat up and reached past Erik, grabbing the skunk's flashlight and settling back down onto his back while Erik watched him. "If you're not afraid of anything, then there's no reason to keep the light on, right? I mean, it's not like you're afraid of the dark or anything."

Erik's heart sped up and he looked at Colin just as the light went off. _Okay Erik, just remain calm. Just because there's no light, doesn't mean I'm alone. Colin and Marshmallow are here with me . . . _He wasn't doing a very good job at trying to reassure himself. He tried to focus on Colin's presence, the feeling of the raccoon being close to him, but it wasn't the same as actually seeing the raccoon. He felt his heart beating against his chest while his breathing struggled to keep up with the rate his heart was going. He kept his jaw clenched tightly to keep the sound of his ragged breathing from being heard by his observant brother.

Why did Colin have to know every little thing? Why couldn't he just leave it alone? Why did the raccoon like pinpointing his weaknesses and embarrassing him by letting him know he knew about them?

Erik was steadily working himself into a panic attack. He couldn't get enough air into his lungs and his chest was beginning to ache. His body was starting to shake, though he tried desperately to not let it happen enough that Colin would feel it. He was beginning to get lightheaded and dizzy at the same time. Finally, he unclenched his jaw since it was getting sore and he let out several panicked gasps before he clasped his paws over his mouth. It was a brief giveaway, and he seriously hoped Colin hadn't caught it.

Colin did, though, and he realized exactly what was going on. He knew what was bringing Erik into the state he was in and he turned the light back on. He set it down so he could sit up and still have the light showing. Thrown off at seeing his brother having a panic attack, Colin forced himself to remain calm. He needed to be calm in order to help Erik out of the state that the skunk was currently in. He was just glad that he knew how to help. He took a breath. "Erik . . ." His voice was soft and calm, yet firm at the same time. ". . . calm down, okay?"

Erik looked over at him, but his vision was so jacked up that he couldn't fully see the raccoon. He kept his paws over his mouth, his breathing still erratic.

"It's all right, Erik, it's okay," Colin said. He hadn't expected Erik to go into a panic attack at simply having the light off. He took note of the skunk's breathing. Erik really needed to get it back on track. "Okay Erik, I need you to breathe on my count, okay? On my count, breathe in, and then back out." Colin noticed that Erik's eyes were wide and his cheeks were flushed. Whether it was from the breathing issue or from shame, Colin couldn't tell. "One. Two."

Erik struggled to keep up. For two seconds, he tried to hold his breath. During the next two seconds, he let it out. Gradually, he was able to go with the count. When he showed progress, Colin extended the count to four, making him hold his breath longer and exhale it longer. Eventually, he regained control of his breathing. Lowering his paws, he focused his eyes on Colin and the light shining on the raccoon, thus creating a silhouette.

"Are you all right?" Colin asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

Erik felt all the blood rush to his cheeks and he looked away. How could he have let that happen? He had been able to control it before . . .

Colin broke through Erik's thoughts. "Erik, there's _absolutely_ no need to be embarrassed."

Erik rolled his eyes and let out a lightweight shaky breath. He attempted to look away, but Colin turned his face so that he was once again staring into the raccoon's baby blue eyes.

"I know you're afraid of the dark, and it's a common fear," Colin said. "I mean, Marshmallow has it."

"That's it exactly," Erik replied. "_Marshmallow_ has it! The _baby_ of the family has this fear! You're the rational one, the one who explains the fears. I shouldn't have fears, let alone something as childish as the dark!"

"Erik, you're not thinking clearly. Everyone has fears, they're common. It doesn't matter what they are."

"I don't see why you can't just leave me alone. I don't know why you have to know _every little thing_."

Colin looked taken aback. He couldn't understand how his trying to help Erik could a bad thing? "I'm not trying to know everything, Erik. I'm just trying to understand. All night long you were acting weird, out of character, and I wanted to know why so you'd be back to your normal self."

"Well, congratulations, you figured it out."

"Erik, I'm not-"

"Save it!" Erik sat up, grabbing the flashlight and slowly rotating it in his paws.

Colin sighed and lied back down, staring at the ceiling.

Erik rolled the flashlight into his paw and pointed it up. "I can't help being afraid of the dark. I've been trying not to let it get to me like it did just now."

Colin looked at him. "You mean, you've come close to a panic attack before?"

Erik sighed and nodded.

Colin sat up and faced him. "Why in heaven's name didn't you tell us? Or Mom? You know you should be getting medical attention for those, right? It can become a disorder. You'd have to take medication for it if it gets to become a regular thing."

Erik merely shrugged. "Really, though, it doesn't matter. I told you it was the first time it's happened."

"That doesn't matter!" He said this with such a sharp tone in his voice that it caused Erik to look at him in slight surprise. "The point is that it's been close to happening! Are you so prideful that you're willing to scar yourself for life before telling anyone you need help?"

Erik blinked before recovering from the shock. He narrowed his eyes. "I don't want, _nor do I need_, any of your help! I can take care of myself!"

"And that's _exactly_ why I helped you just now, right, because you can take care of yourself?"

Erik remained silent.

Colin let out a breath and looked over at Marshmallow's still form. She was still asleep. He made a mental note to ask Marshmallow how she was able sleep through loud noises all of a sudden later on.

There was silence between the two brothers. Both were busy thinking their thoughts.

There was a loud clap of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning, and if possible, the rain poured even harder. Erik jumped at the thunder and dropped his flashlight. Colin looked at him before picking up the item. He shined the light on his brother and could tell he was shaking. "Erik?" Colin moved over to his brother. As Erik jerked back, thus causing him to almost fall off his bed, Colin gently grabbed him by his upper arm and pulled on it, coaxing his brother to come closer.

"I'm fine," Erik said curtly, yanking his arm back roughly. The action caused him to lose his balance and he went falling off his bed. "Whoa!" He landed with a soft thump and an "oof!"

Colin crawled to the edge of the bed and looked down to see Erik sitting up and rubbing his head, mumbling under his breath. Relieved to see that the skunk was fine, he lay on his stomach and shined the light down on him. "Now see? If you would have let me help you, you wouldn't have fallen."

Erik glared up at him. "Oh, shut up!" He huffed and lowered his gaze, folding his arms over his chest.

Colin smiled and rested his head on his arm, holding the light up with his opposite paw. "You know what I just realized?" Erik looked up at him. "I remember when we were going to find Mom, and when we thought someone was down there, you had a tight grip on my arm." He looked down and recognized the expression on Erik's face again. The skunk was so adorable when he was embarrassed, Colin couldn't deny that fact. When he realized Erik wasn't going to respond, he chose to continue. "It took you forever to let go . . . I also remember how quickly you caught up with us after we left the room." He knew that Erik would say something about this, so he stopped talking.

"What is the point of bringing this up, Colin?" he demanded, standing up and getting in Colin's face. They were level now.

Colin merely smiled, lowering the flashlight so he could rest his arm. "I'm bringing up another one of your fears, Erik."

Erik's pupils dilated and he once again choked on some air. "What?" was all he could manage to say. When Colin sat up and motioned for him to climb back onto the bed, he did so absent-mindedly, leaving him with the task of clearing his mind, which thankfully only took a few seconds. "I don't have any other fears, Colin!"

Colin took a hold of Erik's wrists and began guiding him away from the edge of the bed. "Sure you don't, Erik."

Erik glared at the raccoon and angrily pulled his paws back out of Colin's reach. "Why are you pinpointing my weaknesses, Colin?" He pointed at Colin with his paw, his other one in a fist.

"Because you need to learn that there's nothing wrong with having any, Erik."

Erik lowered his paw and simply glared at Colin even harder. "There's _everything_ wrong with having them, Colin! I have a reputation to maintain!"

Colin shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Erik, Erik, Erik."

"Don't you triple Erik me!"

"You worry about what your friends think of you that much? What would they care if they knew you had fears? If they knew, they'd feel they could relate to you more. Why is your reputation so important to you?"

"It's my image. It's what people like about me. If they knew I had fears, then their opinions of me would change."

Colin thought about this. He sat down and crossed his legs. "All right, let me explain something to you. Who do you think truly cares about you, Erik: your family, or your friends?"

"Are you kidding me?" Erik asked. After the raccoon shook his head in response, he decided to answer Colin's question. "My family, of course."

"Okay. Now do you think we'd care if you had any fears?"

"Well, no, but . . ."

"Do you think we'll look at you any less or any different?"

"No, but . . ."

"Do you really think we expect you to be flawless?"

Erik remained silent, digesting all of the questions that his friend had asked. The coon made sense, a whole lot of sense, really. He had never really thought about it the way Colin did, and now that he was, he wasn't sure why he made it a big deal.

"Erik," Colin said, making the skunk look at him, "we love you just as you are. We don't expect you to be perfect. We don't even expect you to be some kind of hero, and you should know that your friends don't either. We know you have flaws, we know you have fears, and we accept those. We accept them because that's who you are."

"I understand," was all Erik could say. "Um . . . what was the fear you realized?"

Colin smiled. "The fear of being alone. Am I right?"

Erik looked down at his lap.

"Erik, I just want to know," Colin added. "Am I right?"

Erik looked up at Colin and nodded. "I'm just not used to it . . . being alone . . ."

"I don't want you making excuses for any of your fears, Erik. Remember this, okay?"

Erik stared at the raccoon, patiently waiting for Colin to continue.

"You are never alone," Colin finished.

When morning arrived, Erik woke up thanks to the sunlight shining directly on his face. Moaning, he rubbed his eyes and covered his head up with his blanket, turning onto his side. He felt something move on his bed and lifted the blanket. Blinking until his blurry vision cleared, he noticed Colin's furry brown back. Slightly waking up some more, he sat up and looked around. Marshmallow was no longer at the foot of his bed. He looked over his shoulder and saw her lying on her side. When had she gotten there? He looked back at Colin and smiled before climbing out of the bed. He went over to the window and drew the shades down, adjusting them so that no light could get through. He then untied the curtains and watched them fall into place. It was now a lot darker in the room, but he wasn't worried about it. He went back to his bed and climbed onto it, getting into the middle. His green eyes met the baby blue eyes that belonged to Colin. He smiled and turned so that he was facing Colin.

"I told you so," Colin whispered.

"I know," Erik whispered back. He felt someone hugging him from behind and he looked over his shoulder to see that Marshmallow had her arms wrapped around his arm. Reaching around his shoulders, he pulled her closer.

Colin scooted closer to Erik and hugged him.

The hug was more intimate than it should have been, but neither brother was concerned about it. Marshmallow snuggled against Erik's chest and settled back to sleep. Erik smiled at her and looked at Colin, who was closer than he realized. He simply smiled and laid his head against Colin's chest, removing his arm gently from Marshmallow's waist and wrapping it around Colin's lower back. He felt both siblings tighten their grips on him, and was once again reminded that he was never alone.


	3. The Test

Chapter 3: The Test

Colin slammed his locker shut with a loud grunt of frustration. He glowered at his locker. Sighing in defeat, he picked up his things and turned to head to his next class. He could've progressed if Melissa hadn't been standing in his way.

She looked a lot like Renee, only her eyes were a darker shade of blue. Her face was filled with concern and something in Colin's gut told him that he wouldn't get to class on time. To make matters worse, she looked like she wanted to talk. That was something Colin didn't feel like doing at the moment. He just wanted to hurry up and get through Monday. He hated Mondays.

She took a step toward him, her eyes penetrating through him, almost as if she were staring into his soul through his eyes. He backed up, pressing his back against his locker door, sending chills down his spine as the cold metal caressed his back. He might as well have been lying flat on his back on a lake of ice. He tightened his grip on his belongings as if they were his treasured belongings before she came in for the kill and then what?

Then he would be dead. At least at his funeral there would be a lot of people. He was loved enormously by family (if you could call the Matthews family) and friends.

But what about Erik? What would his funeral be like? The only people who loved him were his family and Colin. As long as he had at least one friend-even if that one friend was a raccoon-that was good enough for Erik.

But Colin wasn't sure whether or not Melissa was a good choice for Erik. Right now she had him cornered, ready to attack him, rip him to shreds. There'd be nothing left of him once she was done with him. All that would remain of him would be his skeleton, and she was sure to throw his bones to the dogs. He knew that bones wouldn't be enough to satisfy the dogs, though. The dogs ate the crumbs that fell from their master's table, didn't they?

However, this action was also a characteristic of cats. Colin had found this out one night when the family cat Nikki had eaten a slice of ham that had fallen from his sandwich. Why the family had a cat, Colin didn't know. Perhaps Erik offered his behind as a scratching post for Nikki so he could get some sexual gratification.

Had it been Colin's decision, he would've chosen a dog as a pet. At least they could do their business outside, not like cats. Cats stunk up the house with their filthy litter boxes. Plus, they shed fur all over the furniture and carpet. And Colin hated the fact that he had to wake up every morning to what felt like someone scraping a rake across his head. It was actually Nikki clawing at his head. He also hated cleaning out her litter box. The smell made him gag and made his eyes water. But what was worse than that were the baths. Oh, how he hated the baths! During the baths, Nikki would scratch the fire out of him as she screeched in objection. It was a wonder how she even got cleaned. By the time he was done he felt as if he were bleeding to death.

As he felt something sharp stab at his side, his thoughts veered back to reality. He looked down to see that one of the claws on Melissa's left foot was digging into his hip. He winced in pain. She was climbing on top of him, causing him to drop his belongings. His eyes widened in fear at the realization of what was going on. Oh, no! She was going to chomp down on his neck to suck all of his blood out of his body. He felt the lioness sink her sharp canines into his neck. Already he could feel the life being drained out of him. Wait a minute . . . Those sharp things were her claws and that energy he felt was just the cold air from the ventilation system blowing against his rump.

At long last the female skunk spoke. Her voice was soft, almost like a whisper. He could barely hear her, but yet her voice brought a sense of calmness and peacefulness over him. Her minty-fresh breath blew in his face as she spoke, making him dizzy and making him temporarily lose his senses. For a moment he lost all logic, all reason, all train of thought. His knees knocked together as his legs began to buckle, giving way to the possibility that he might fall, though that was probably due to the excess weight being exerted on him. As his head cleared, he shook it. He thought he'd heard her say something, but he'd somehow missed it, probably because he'd gotten drunk on her presence.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I asked you if you were all right," she explained.

He hoisted her up and shifted his weight so he could hold her better. "Yeah, I'm totally fine. Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. You just seem really depressed today." She motioned for him to set her down and he obliged.

He tucked his belongings underneath his arm and hung one of the shoulder straps of his backpack over his shoulder. "I'll be fine." He gave her a reassuring smile, which he hoped was convincing enough to appease her. "Don't worry about it."

"Is there something you'd like to talk to me about?" She didn't know when to just let something go, did she?

He tried to keep his temper from flaring. "No, I'm fine."

"Well, just in case you ever want to talk to me . . ." She wrote something down on a piece of paper, which she ripped out of her notebook and handed to him. "Here's my number if you need anything. Anything at all, let me know."

He nodded. "Thanks. I'll do that."

The school bell rang, announcing that the two were late to class.

Melissa groaned. "Oh, great, there's the bell. I've got to go. Nice talking to you, Colin."

"Yeah, you too."

She walked down the hall, waving good-bye to him. He waved back. As she continued to walk down the hall, he studied her hips as they swayed back and forth. His eyes moved down to her legs, which were long and skinny, like Renee's. He licked his chops, longing to want to be with her, to feel her body against his, her fingers caressing his body.

He sighed and grabbed his things and headed to his next class.

Erik smiled as he saw Colin enter the classroom. He waved Colin over. The coon checked to see that the teacher's back was turned towards the class, then hurried over to his seat beside Erik.

The teacher known as Ms. Kerr turned. She was a short, overweight red-headed woman with chubby cheeks and green eyes that were shielded by the circular lenses of her glasses that were supported from a chain that extended from the ear pieces to her neck. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, a recent college graduate. She gave Colin a stern look. "Nice of you to join us, Mr. Phillips." Her voice was anything but friendly. In fact, it was far from being warm. It was cold. "Perhaps next time you'll be on time."

Colin nodded in response.

Ms. Kerr turned to the class. "Good afternoon class. I have interesting news for you. There has been a change of plans. We will not be having our quiz today."

The class cheered.

"Okay, class, settle down."

The room fell silent.

"However, we are going to be taking a different kind of test."

The class groaned.

Ms. Kerr began passing out the test. "This is the Academic Performance Evaluation Test, also known as the APET."

"You mean like a teacher's pet?" Erik snickered as he pointed a finger to Colin. The class began to snicker loudly as they caught his joke. Colin frowned, not thinking the joke was at all funny.

"I know," Ms. Kerr continued as she ignored Erik's joke, "I've never heard of it either, but it's supposed to be designed to see how much you know. It's only six pages long. Don't worry, this will not count against your grade, but this test will, I believe, reflect on us, your teachers and it will determine how well we teachers have educated you, our pupils." She started down the row of tables where Erik and Colin were located. "There are no wrong answers. I sure hope you all do you best and make us proud. Please use a number two pencil and _no cheating_!"

_I don't need to cheat,_ Colin thought. He was handed his test.

"Now you have one hundred twenty minutes to complete the test. You may begin now."

The room was filled with silence as the students went to work on the test while Ms. Kerr graded some homework papers. Some kids scratched their heads. Some gave their test papers dirty looks. Some shifted uneasily in their seats.

The first part of the test was science. The first question read, "Briefly explain the Law of the Conservation of Mass."

Forty-five minutes later, one particular student stood up and walked up to Ms. Kerr's desk and cleared his throat to get her attention.

Ms. Kerr looked up. "Is there something I can help you with, Colin?"

Colin shook his head. "I'm done, Ms. Kerr." His tone matched the expression on his face: bashful. He held out his test.

She blinked. "You're done?" She knew Colin was smart, but he just seemed to speed through the test a little too quickly. Just to be sure that every question was answered she looked through his test and was surprised to find that not only was he done, but all of his answers were correct. Her gaze met Colin's. "Very well. You may have the remaining time to do as you will, just as long as it doesn't disturb the other students."

Colin nodded to show that he understood and returned to his seat. "See what happens when you study?" he asked Erik with a smug look as he sat down.

Erik glared at the raccoon and kicked him in the shin.

Colin took out his CD player from his backpack, deciding that he would listen to music for the next hour and fifteen minutes. He inserted a CD into his CD player and pressed "play." Music blared from the headphones into his ears. Loud rock music hammered his eardrums, drowning out all of the outside noise. He didn't even hear the bell ring once the two hours had passed. It was only when he saw everyone get up and leave the room with their belongings that he realized that it was time to go to his next class.


	4. Test Results

Chapter 4: Test Results

The next two weeks went by without any change. Colin began to wonder why in the world the test had been distributed in the first place if they weren't going to get the results. Why bother taking a test if you weren't going to get the results? The question puzzled him, and trying to find a reasonable answer was just as befuddling, if not more confusing than the question.

Erik also seemed worried about the test. He was just as eager to see the results. Unfortunately, neither one of them had gotten their test results, at least not yet anyway.

Marshmallow was also worried about the test. She was afraid she would have to take it when she entered the seventh grade. Erik reassured her that she wouldn't have to. He didn't think it was annual since they hadn't done it last year. Then again, last year he'd been in the sixth grade, still in elementary school, so there was the possibility that the test would be administered again next year, when he was in the eighth grade.

They didn't get their test results until the following Monday, three weeks after taking the test.

Colin groaned as he was handed his test results.

Erik looked over at him, diverting his eyes from his own test results. "Look, Colin, if you got a bad score, it doesn't mean you're stupid or anything."

"No, they spelled my name wrong." Colin pointed to his name.

Erik leaned toward him. "Colin Filipino." He looked at Colin's score, which was twenty-four hundred. His eyes widened in amazement. "Colin, you got a perfect score!" He looked at his own score, which was just twelve hundred.

For the first time, Colin looked at his score. He was a bit shocked himself. He knew he'd done well, but not that well. "A perfect score, huh?" He chuckled. "Guess that makes me a genius."

Erik glared at his score, sorely disappointed at his low score.

Colin put his arm around him. "Don't worry about it, you did fine."

The intercom beeped and Ms. Hood's voice was heard throughout the room. "Ms. Kerr, please send Colin Phillips to my office."

"Yes, I will," Ms. Kerr replied. "Thank you."

Colin gathered his things and headed out the door. As he walked down the hallway, heading to the main office, he wondered why he had been called to the principal's office. He guessed that it had something to do with his test results. That was the only thing he could think of. It couldn't be anything else. Ms. Hood probably wanted to congratulate him on a job well done. Still, he couldn't help but think that perhaps Ms. Hood had called him by mistake and had actually wanted to see Erik instead. After all, the skunk's grades weren't the absolute best.

As he entered the main office, Ms. Hood's secretary Ms. Burch told him to go inside Ms. Hood's office. Colin gave her a nod and walked past the short, fat white woman with blond hair and gray eyes.

When Colin entered the principal's office, he found Ms. Hood sitting at her desk. The tall white blond-haired woman sat at her desk with her hands folded on top of her desk. She eyed a man wearing a trench coat. "Ah, Colin, please come in." She beckoned the raccoon in her office and gestured to the man as Colin approached her desk. "Colin, this is Dean McGrath. He's asked to speak with you in private, so I'll just leave the two of you alone for the time being." She rose from her desk and left the room.

Colin turned to Dean. He didn't know why, but he feared the man. He sensed that something was amiss, yet the man didn't look threatening.

"Hello, Colin." Dean's voice was soft and sweet. "So you're the little genius I've heard so much about. I'm sure by now you've gotten your test results."

Colin nodded to confirm this.

"I'd like to offer you a chance to go to a new school." Dean reached into his trench coat and pulled out a form that would allow Colin to transfer schools. "The paperwork's been filled out. Your mom's agreed to it."

Colin examined the form. In the line indicated as "signature of the parent/guardian" was Renee's signature. It looked so much like her signature that Colin couldn't help but believe that it really was, but he found it bizarre, though, that she'd agreed to the deal without talking to him about it. It wasn't like her to go behind his back and do something without his knowledge. Something inside him (he wasn't sure what it was) told him that something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong. He just knew it.

"All you've got to do is sign at the bottom and you'll be transported to your new school tomorrow morning," Dean declared.

Colin had the urge to leave. "I'll just go get my things!" He started towards the door. His paw touched the knob, about to turn it so he could leave. He suddenly felt something pierce his arm. He looked down to see Dean injecting some liquid into his bloodstream through a syringe. He tried to look up at his attacker, but he suddenly became drowsy and darkness took over his vision as he started to fall back. He felt the man catch him with one hand while he continued to hold the syringe in the other. Before he could cry out in protest, he heard the man say, "That won't be necessary. Those old items are not useful to you anymore, not where you're going!" That was the last thing he heard before he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.


End file.
